HI-TECH medical kit which could save the sight of more than 30,000 diabetes sufferers is being rolled out across Staffordshire.

The county is the first place in Britain to launch the £425,00 screening scheme, which will be unveiled on Thursday.

It will use cameras to provide digital eye images and provide GPs with early warnings of patients' future sight problems. Staffordshire's eight primary care trusts, including those covering Lichfield, Tamworth and Cannock, are paying for the kit.

The screening scheme's clinical director, Malcolm Gray, said: "Diabetes is the most common cause of blindness in the working population.

"This screening programme will be key in preventing blindness by improving the consistency of care for people with diabetes in Staffordshire.

"To achieve a programme of this magnitude has not been easy but it shows what the NHS can do."

The cameras used in the scheme will provide precise eye images which can be compared over time to track changes. The programme has been in development for three years.

The cameras will be based at eye centres across the county. Two portable cameras have also been made available to make sure house-bound patients do not miss out.

Around 1.3 million people are diagnosed with diabetes in England every year. The condition is caused when blood glucose levels are too high and the body cannot convert starchy and sugary foods into energy.